I’m not going to name any disc retailers in this …
Because what they’re doing is a smart move on their end.
First, if you don’t know what a mystery box is, it’s an alternative way of purchasing discs. Instead of placing discs in a virtual (or literal) shopping cart, you purchase a box of them.
The catch is that you don’t choose ANY of them. You buy a box of five, 10 or 15 discs, and the retailer surprises you with what you get. It’s the element of the unknown that hooks buyers. To further sweeten the offer, the math on the price tag often makes it seem like a mega-sweet deal.
Some retailers even allow shoppers to add a “mystery disc” to their carts at checkout for a discount, too. To a certain extent, it’s the same concept, but with only one disc, obviously.
Cool, right?
Here’s the problem with this setup …
The discs you get are the ones nobody’s buying.
Said discs can either sit in a warehouse, collect dust and bring in zero dollars or get hit with a hefty mark-down, tossed in a mystery box and unloaded with some savvy intrigue marketing.
Remember this harsh, yet obvious reality: Retailers don’t lose money on mystery boxes. So if you’re buying them at what appears to be an incredible discount with the hope of landing some hidden gem, you’re in for a BIG letdown – there’s no 2015 Sexton Firebird coming your way.
Try these hypothetical numbers on for size …
Should you order a 10-disc mystery box:
- One is likely to be a quality get.
- Two will be above-average finds.
- Seven are going to be “filler” frisbees.
Here’s what experienced disc-buyers do …
Navigate to your preferred disc retailer’s discount or clearance page. Living in Utah, Infinite Discs is only a couple of hours from my home, so I often take to their “What’s On Sale?” link. And there you have it: The EXACT discs that’ll build out some sucker’s future mystery box.
The difference?
You choose what you want.
There’s another option, too …
For this method, get beyond the standard disc golf shops you’re used to frequenting online. Alternatively, look for specialty stores. KW Disc Golf, for example, is way into mystery boxes. In fact, most of Kevin Waring’s inventory comes from them – check out this decade-old viddie:
His YouTube channel makes for a good time.
Still, though, don’t expect specialty retailers to lose money on mystery boxes – that’s dumb. Mystery boxes are fun and all, but the quality, hand-picked ones are often upwards of 250 bones.
If you want heavy-hitter discs as part of your surprise, you’ll have to pay for it.
The deals you think are too good to be true are usually just that …
A figment of your imagination.
Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
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- Disc golf: The value of technical, 200-foot holes on the Pro Tour
Real quick, if you happen to buy something through a link in this article, there’s a chance we’ll get a small share of the sale. It’s how we keep the lights on. To learn more, click here.
The attraction to mystery boxes is really weird to me. You wouldn’t go out to eat and order a mystery meal. Or buy tickets to a mystery concert. Now if you got a mystery disc free with a certain ordered dollar amount then I’m all in. But I guess the good news for the mystery box guys are there’s always water somewhere that needs throwing over
Hahaha …
That’s a good point: Wade out into the water for “nature’s mystery box.”
Also, good points with the meal and concert – pretty good comps.
In defense of the single mystery disc… I did that last month (March 2023) with an order from Infinite, they sent me a Paul McBeth 5x Force. Sweet disc but they had to move them this way because Paul now has 6x. I couldn’t care less. So, got a sweet disc for $6 or whatever.
Dustin, that is AWESOME …
Like for real: That’s a 10/10 victory.
They had to move ’em. They moved ’em. You won.
Thanks for sharing!
I’ve only bought two mystery boxes so far, one Royal Mystery Box 3 from Latitude 64 and most recently the MVP Heist Mystery Box. Each of them had custom stamps or prototype molds/plastics that you couldn’t easily find at the time of sale. The MVP box did have good specifications prior to the sale around how many different discs of each type were offered or guaranteed in each box. I’ve really enjoyed both of them and many of the discs from them are still in my bag or are backups for discs currently in my bag. I guess it’s possible that could be partially because I’ve only been playing for three years and hadn’t solidified my preferences prior to purchasing them. Even with some of the included molds being more common, I still feel like I got a pretty good deal with them.
Sweet, David!
Have to ask …
How much did you pay for ‘e,?
And were they both three-disc boxes?
I’ve done 2 mystery boxes. I bought the MVP Gyropalooza one and was happy with the glows and lab seconds.
Then I bought the DGPT one and was very underwhelmed. Mostly junk, one nice disc and a nice tshirt. However getting that box entered me into a drawing g and I end up winning a Zuca cart. Win, lose , win.
Holy crap …
That’s INCREDIBLY cool.
Talk about luck – you won out!
My Discraft Z misprint box was solid. I think the misprint kind of breaks the trend. Popular discs get run more and end up with more misprints. A buzzz ss, Comet, Buzzz, Heat, Zombee and Archer all hit my or my wife’s bag. The other 4 were a nuke SS, an undertaker, a scorch, and a Stalker. All of which except the stalker I would throw if I had more arm speed. The Stalker I am banking for when I lose an older x heat that fills that slot for me.
Glad to hear it worked out for you, Bennt!
My advice: If someone wants to try mystery boxes, they are best when ordered direct from a manufacturer. They have higher profit margins and are more likely to include better discs or desirable discs with simple defects (i.e. double/misstamps). Retailer mystery boxes tend to be stuff no one is buying (i.e. stuff no one wants).
Oh, this is good …
Never done that before – thanks for the tip, Ryan!